Always a Hidden Agenda
by Ever-the-Phantom
Summary: Started out as a rewriting of Sanctuary Season 4, Episode 3 "Untouchable", with a twist. Greg Addison is introduced and scrutinizes the Sanctuary. What happens when he and The Father of A/C Current go head-to-head? Rated T for vampire stuff.
1. Chapter 1

_Last edited on Jan. 14, 2013._

Disclaimer: Nope, I am not affiliated with the television show _Sanctuary._

* * *

Will and Helen were walking down a hallway in her Sanctuary.

"I went through the files on Addison's team," Will gestured to the files in his hand, "A lot of Ivy League educations, state department résumés, no marriages or kids."

Helen rolled her eyes. "Orphans preferred, lovely." Will handed her the files. "What do we know about this Addison fellow himself?" She opened the file and was greeted with a picture of a bald, pale man with moderately hard features, his mouth pressed in a firm line with just a hint of a smirk. It looked as if he had to be expressionless for the formal picture, but normally the man smirked more than anything else. Upon seeing this face, Helen took it as more proof that this Gregory Addison would be just as difficult to deal with as Lillian Lee and General Villanova, perhaps more so. It seemed ironic and insulting that this man shared her father's first name.

Will continued. "He's the U.N. Security Council's top troubleshooter: Harvard Law, Brookings Institute, the Hague. He's advised world leaders on everything from Iraq, to Libya, to the B.P. Oil spill in the Gulf."

At this, Helen was genuinely impressed. "Wow, now he's here to deal with us."

Will nodded. "If he wasn't such a pit bull, I'd be flattered." Helen agreed.

Nothing more was said en route to the main foyer as Helen pretended to peruse the rest of the file while her mind drifted. After almost zero contact with the world of the Sanctuary Network for over a hundred years, she was still readjusting to her old life as its leader. Regardless, she was glad to be home. She had gone through a few bouts of depression during her one-hundred-thirteen years of sabbatical: first in response to seeing the 1898-Adam's heart break over losing his sweet daughter Imogene, combined with the reminders of how her heart had been shoved into a paper-shredder because of John and the Ripper case. Then once again when she had to prevent herself from drastically affecting the events of various blights in history, such as the world wars and the Lazarus epidemic; yes, the past century had indeed been a long one.

Helen shook her mind back into the present. She needed to stay focused. Addison and his team would be at her Sanctuary in an hour, and she had to be ready to face his power-play mindset. Her old friend and butler did some last-minute tidying and security checks while Henry prepped the computer network. Helen and Will had spent the past few hours finalizing her master plan for Addison's visit. The fate of the Sanctuary Network hung in the balance today, and whether it came out on top afterwards depended on this exchange with the UN Security Council.

Henry, Will, Helen and her old friend met in the front room. They began with Henry's progress report: "The terminal farm's up and running in the research lab. Are you sure you want me to give these guys complete access to our current protocols?"

"Bunch of strangers poking around; I don't like it," her old friend interjected.

Will held up his hands. "Nobody does, but it's not like we have a choice."

Henry asked, "What about the 'tea with Magnus, photo-op with a mermaid' option?"

"That ain't gonna fly this time."

Helen stepped into the conversation, "Everything's changed since the Calderas to Hollow Earth were breached. High-level people need reassurance that the situation is under control." She turned to Henry. "You've secured the research database?"

"Done. Current security and user activity are open access. The rest is behind an invisible firewall. And I'll be monitoring their traffic full-time, so we'll know right away if they try anything off the hook."

Next she asked her old friend, "All secure on the residential levels? No stragglers?"

"Tight as a drum," he replied, "Total lockdown in 40 minutes."

Helen made eye contact with each of them. "Good job, everyone. Right, one more walkthrough and we'll reconvene here at—"

They were surprised to hear the doorbell. Helen turned to face the door.

Will mimicked her. "What? An hour ahead of schedule?"

Henry checked the PC Tablet in his hand. "No, there's no way. Gate defenses are up. There is no way he just walked to that front door." He brought up a window on the screen. "Yeah, see? Gate was opened with an approved code…mine..."

Will was a bit peeved. "…Well who'd you give it to?"

"No one!"

The doorbell sounded again.

"…to the best of my knowledge."

Helen signaled them to follow her to the door. Her old friend cautiously opened it.

Standing there were the two people they last expected to see, especially together. It was none other than Henry's girlfriend Erika and Nikola Tesla.


	2. Chapter 2

Helen's eyes went wide. "Erika! Nikola! This is a surprise. I didn't even know you two were acquainted."

"We weren't until about five minutes ago." Erika stepped inside with a suitcase rolling behind her. She wore a light navy jacket with jeans and black flats. Her long black hair was straight and fell to just above her waistline. "Hello, all. Sorry to intrude."

"Helen, it's been too long." Nikola Tesla followed Erika in. He was wearing one of his suits with his hair spiked up, as always. He was grinning at the attention from his conversation with Erika, but when his eyes met Helen's, he forgot all about Erika. Here was his flower, delicate-looking but potent in reality. She was wearing one of her black semi-formal dresses and black high-heels. Was it just him, or did she seem to wear a lot of black most of the recent times he'd seen her? Of course, it's been over a century since she last saw him, so she could be wearing all black for entirely different reasons, but he somehow doubted it.

_It's funny to think that now even I'm a kid compared to her age._

Of course, she looked the same age as before.

Erika went to greet Will and Helen's Bigfoot friend with a hug, and then Henry with a hug and a shy kiss. Then they engaged in conversation.

"Nikola, it's only been two weeks for you."

"Yes, but for you, it's been a hundred years. I can tell you missed me." Nope, Helen hadn't changed much with another century under her belt. She was still easy to read. At his last statement, he heard her heartbeat rate slightly increase and was glad for the hundredth time in the past two weeks that he was once again a vampire. Nikola grinned triumphantly and turned his cheek towards her. "Just plant one on me already."

"You should know that I don't fall for the same trick twice."

"Alright, you got me." He faced her again. "Just a hug, then?"

Helen hoped he wouldn't try anything this time as she leaned in for a hug. To her surprise, he didn't try anything. Instead, he put his arms around her and gently kissed her forehead in a filial way, like her father used to. This gesture made her realize how much she missed the Serb, and, by extension, her father and their days at Oxford.

Nikola had noticed Helen hesitated before the hug, so he didn't want to spoil it by using it to flirt. Instead he simply basked in it: her presence, her familiar smell, her gentle touch. She needed a hug from an old friend, not from a lover. When she let go, it was too soon for him but he released her.

By this time, Erika was getting to her reason for visiting. There was some silence as she chose her words. Not sure if she should make her announcement in front of someone she just met, she turned toward Nikola.

He picked up on her unspoken question. "It's okay, I already know." This made her more confused. Nikola smirked a little. "Apparently a vampire's sense of hearing is better than a HAP's." Erika hesitantly turned back to Henry.

She began, "I wanted to tell you in person…"

"Great, good. It's just that we have this U.N. inspection team due in an hour, and I'm installing this whole new mirror array…"

Nikola could not believe what he was hearing. Henry was completely oblivious.

_And _I'm_ supposed to be the one who's terrible with women._

Helen's old friend was trying to make silent eye-contact from behind Erika while shaking his head. Helen and Will were fidgeting and looking at the floor. Nikola had to say something before he started laughing out loud and the others demonized him not ten minutes after his arrival.

"…so that they can access our system without actually—"

"Wolfgang."

Henry rolled his eyes. He'd never liked that nickname. "…Yes, Tesla?"

"Shut up."

Henry then noticed everyone else's discomfort. "…Stopping." He faced Erika. "Listening."

Erika took Henry's hand. "You're going to be a father."

He nodded. Then it sank in.

"…Oh."

While the others centered on Erika, Helen decided it was Nikola's turn. "So Nikola, why are you here? And don't say it's just to see me."

Nikola brought his face a little too close to hers. This was his chance to test the waters. "And what if it _was_ just to see you?" _For Pete's sake, you had to go through the entire twentieth century since I last saw you! Again! And alone this time! Does she really not think about herself or do I just come across as _that_ shallow these days?_

Helen didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. Nikola had made sure that this couldn't be mistaken for a joke. Her emotions were all over her face, just like when he'd confessed himself to her in Rome.

_All evening, Nikola had tried to steer the conversation toward his work and why he'd come to her after sixty long years of silence: he missed her and he still loved her. _

_Oh yes, he had tried to get over her. He'd tried everything. He hadn't even planned on staying at the conference; originally he was going to watch her lecture for five minutes, then leave to get the Cabal agents off his trail. Yet, as soon as he saw her sparkling blue eyes, he was instantly drowning in them again. The feeling was overwhelming. He had to speak to her. Now. It was all he could do to not simply run up to her in front of her lecture audience like a lost puppy, so it was only natural that, when she leaned in to peck his cheek, he couldn't keep from turning his head to catch her kiss on his lips. In that instant before she realized what he'd done, sixty years of trying to stop loving her were lost forever. He felt a renewed vigor to make her understand the depths of his feelings._

_Now, with them covered in dirt, dust and sweat from running around Roman catacombs, Helen was irritated. At last there was a break in their run from the Cabal. He had a chance, and this might be his last chance for a long time. Of course, Helen decided to get upset just as he made up his mind._

"_Do you think this is funny?" She spat after he'd made a joke about Edison, "tricking me into helping you with whatever game you're playing with the Cabal? I don't appreciate being put in the line of fire!"_

No, you're getting it all wrong! Why can't you understand? _"Helen—"_

"_You've always been like this, haven't you? Selfish and arrogant, putting your own desires before everyone else's."_

Helen! _"I brought you here for two reasons: Because only you can help me finish what I'm working on,_ a_nd because I love you." He was bearing himself to her, laying everything on the line. His first reason wasn't exactly true, but if she rejected him, she would still have a reason to listen to him._

"_Yes, so you keep…What?" She wa complete loss for words._

_Nikola took advantage of her silence. "I always have, more than that lunatic Druitt ever did." He slowly lifted his hand towards her neck as he spoke, but he stopped when he was faced with the faint, but ever-present scars just above her left jugular, still there after all this time. At the same time, she slightly flinched away (old instincts die hard), so he brought his hand back to his side. Once again, he was losing the battle. "I misled you, and I deeply apologize for that, but I had to see you." His eyes bored into hers, begging her to understand. _

"…_You're serious, aren't you?"_

_He'd lost._

_He threw his mask back up. He let a chuckle escape, but it never reached his eyes. In so many of those romantic classical novels women loved, the man was blind to the woman's feelings until something drastic and life-altering happened; then the man and woman would realize their mutual feelings and live together happily ever after. In Nikola's world, it was the woman who was ignorant. She pursued a different man and those two grew closer after their first life-changing experience. When said other man turned out to be a serial killer, the woman abandoned relationships altogether, effectively leaving Nikola and his feelings out in the cold. His life thus far had become an ironic joke!_

_So he'd left. He had asked her to fake his death and then left. Why should he continue to entertain this fantasy when she so obviously wanted nothing to do with it? He'd been the underdog his whole life! He deserved better than this!_

_And yet…he couldn't stop. He couldn't blame her or be angry with her. How easy it had been for him to lose himself in her presence once again after sixty years of no contact! It was as if his love for her hadn't missed a beat. In fact it was stronger than ever…Loving her felt so natural. He would always love her and there was nothing he could do about it. He loved her, despite his best efforts, and he knew he'd continue to feel the same way for the rest of his life, regardless of the way she treated him._

Sighing inwardly, he withdrew and gave his cop-out answer: "Seeing as I'm not as hunky-dory about reviving the master race as I used to, I'm a bit bored. I came to find new inspiration." It was obviously a lie. Anyone who knew him knew that he was always writing new ideas on any scraps of paper he could find. He hoped she wouldn't question it. She didn't.

"So…I'll probably be in a lab, the library or the wine cellar." He sauntered off, not sure of what else to say.

Helen was still rooted to her position by the front door as she watched Nikola go. It wasn't very often that he gave her that look. His smoky-blue eyes had pierced through her, though not as powerfully as that time in Rome. Rome…In the catacombs, Nikola had told her he loved her, and she'd responded with, "You're serious, aren't you?" like a blithering idiot. At least this time, she'd had enough control to keep her mouth shut.

Was he serious? It was so hard to tell, what with his attitude changes between the cynical, flirty vampire and the vulnerable man buried underneath. Nikola's aptitude for sarcasm had not existed before the Source Blood transformed him into a vampire, and ever since his transformation, this darker side has become more prevalent over the years. That's why her response to Nikola 'confession' of love had been disbelief and annoyance. She'd assumed he was still playing games with her. What if, that night, he'd bared his soul to her and she'd thrown in his face?

She went to her room for a quiet place to think, all hope of focusing on Addison's arrival long gone.


	3. Chapter 3

"Nice digs. A little formal. If you need the name of a decorator, I know a fabulous firm in L.A. Just did James Cameron's Aspen estate."

Nikola was brought back to reality at the arrogant, unfamiliar voice he heard coming from a few floors down. He had been deep in thought, looking for ways to reinvent wireless electricity. There were so many new possibilities with the new technology of the past century!

Nikola chuckled and the stranger's comment. He knew it had been said to Helen because he could hear her specific breathing pattern coming from the same location. It was obvious this man was not well acquainted with Helen. Not even Nikola could get away scot-free with criticizing her sense of interior design.

"Did you come here to name-drop?"

That was young William, pragmatic and loyal to Helen as always.

"With Helen Magnus? Come on, Sport, I'd lose."

Well, at least this guy knew whom he was addressing.

He continued, "No, I'm here to make the call on whether or not the Sanctuary continues to receive funding and support from the people who hired me. You know, the ones running the world."

So he's a government lackey, and he's already begun the verbal barbing. Nikola smirked.

_I doubt he realizes how in over his head he is here. This should be entertaining._

"That's quite a team you've brought with you. Are they completely necessary?"

Ah, the sweet, sweet voice of an irritated Helen Magnus! At least, it was sweet when he wasn't the receiver of said irritation.

"Well, if it helps, think of me as Elliot Ness, and these guys behind me, The Untouchables."

"If it helps, Magnus knew the real Elliot Ness, and, just going out on a limb here, that's not you."

"Congratulations, Sport, you win round one of 'Who Knows Who.'

Nikola laughed out loud.

"I've arranged secure terminals at one of our labs. My people will be available for any debriefing you may need."

Nikola hoped that Helen hadn't included him as one of her 'people'.

"I love it… This is Cassidy Turner, my senior technical consultant. Cass, take the team and get started."

"Absolutely." Cassidy's voice was nondescript compared to Helen's.

"Help her set up, will you, Sport? I'm going to take the menagerie tour with Dr. Magnus."

And there goes any remaining respect Helen could have had for him. No one responded immediately. The Fed had referred to Helen's life's work as a zoo. Nikola heard both Will's and Helen's pulses zoom up for the third time in the past few minutes. He wondered how long the man could keep this up while still leaving in one piece.

"…Will, could you please take Ms. Turner and her team to the research lab?"

"If you call me 'Sport' once more, I'm going to knock your teeth in. Welcome to the Sanctuary. Follow me, everyone." All but Helen's pulse plus one followed Will's up the nearest flight of stairs.

_It's about time Wilhelm stood up for himself. He won't even give them the privilege of using the elevators._

Now Helen and the mystery man were alone. Nikola couldn't help but feel protective over Helen.

"This is not a menagerie, Mr. Addison."

_Addison? As in Gregory Addison with the UN Security Council?_

"What else do you call the place where they keep the monsters and the freaks?"

Now even Nikola was becoming fed up. The creatures here were not monsters! Nikola knew what it was like to be wrongly viewed as such; Druitt, a real monster, had siphoned suspicion for the Ripper murders onto Nikola to keep himself out of the spotlight. And they had so easily believed him, especially Helen. Sure, he had been the logical choice, a newborn vampire, but that hadn't made it any easier to bear.

"You're fooling no one with this tactic: come in as obnoxious as possible, put us all on the defensive."

Nikola had recognized this earlier. Helen was familiar with it mainly because she saw Nikola use it often.

"Ah, you got me… You know what I love about really great tactics? They work even when the other guy sees them coming."

Nikola heard them step off the carpet and into the elevator. He heard it move down and away from him. He had to strain a little more to hear Helen and Addison.

"I think you've gotten very used to having Carte Blanche around the world because you helped Interpol take down a three-headed madman, or covered up the squid-blood origins of some President's wife."

"Ah... So this is about my ego."

"Doctor, we have hit and run attacks by rogue abnormal groups on Lotus Defense training camps as well as civilian casualties that someone has to explain to the press."

Helen ignored this. "There's over a hundred years of history here, Mr. Addison."

"Hmm… Any chance you'll call me Greg?"

"None whatsoever…'Monsters'?" she offered when the elevator stopped.

Nikola smiled at the confidence in her voice. That was his Helen: always with a behind-the-scenes plan.

More interested in the newcomers than his research, Nikola listened for their voices, footsteps and heartbeats. He took a few seconds to determine what lab they were in.

Why would Willhelm choose that lab? It was to lab furthest from the front door…he grinned.

_Wow. He must really hate the new nickname. I'll have to try it out sometime._

"Sorry, it'll just be another couple of minutes."

"It's okay, Henry. Everyone knows this was last minute."

"We've got all day."

Nikola recognized the third voice as a slightly irritated Cassidy Turner as he approached the lab now occupied by Heinrich, William, Erika and Cassidy's group.

"…Okay, that should do it." Henry finished typing at the terminal as Nikola entered. They were all facing away from him, but he was sure the HAPs had already heard or smelled him.

_Time to have some fun._

"Hello, kiddies! How's the field trip going?" He grinned as everyone but Erika and Henry jumped at the sound of his voice.

All but one of Addison's people looked ruffled at his entrance. She addressed him, "Do I look like a 'kiddie' to you?"

He knew the voice. "Do you really want me to answer that, Cassie?" He towered over her. Her heartbeat rose slightly at both his informal use of her name and the fact that he already knew it, but her discomfort didn't show.

"I'll be twenty-seven next month. You can't be that much older than me."

"When I was your age, I was doing experiments in Oxford at the turn of the century."

"So you were almost thirty in 1999 or 2000. A forty-year-old can't call us children."

"Wrong century, dear."

She was speechless. How he'd missed pressing the Feds' buttons!

Will took this opportunity. "Everyone, this is Nikola Tesla—"

"Genius, inventor, vampire," Nikola finished. Will and Henry rolled their eyes.

"Stop insulting my intelligence," Cassidy retorted, "Everyone knows vampires have been extinct for centuries. They don't exist anymore."

Nikola let his irises turn bright red but kept his eyes from changing completely. His nails itched to surface but he kept them at bay. He wanted to show her who was boss, not traumatize her. "Would you like to bet your life on that?"

Now all the newcomers were completely unnerved, even Cassidy. Nikola could even smell some fear coming from someone in the back.

"Tesla!" Will looked annoyed, He knew what Nikola's game was; in fact, he was a little jealous that he couldn't do it. "Stop acting like you're all that."

Nikola returned his eyes to normal and feigned innocence, "But I am all that."

"Why are you here?"

"When I heard 'Elliot Ness' had arrived, I came out to play."

Henry didn't get the reference and looked at Will, who shook his head.

Nikola raised his voice so he could be heard by Addison and Helen, who were approaching from down the hall, "You know, despite his achievements, Elliot knew his place and gave credit where it was due, unlike your boss here." By now, Helen and Addison were close enough that even the humans could hear their approach.

"Oh great, more people." This was the first time Henry had spoken since Nikola made his presence known.

Helen entered, beautiful and proprietary as always, followed by Addison. He had no hair anywhere on his head, was shorter than Cassidy, and looked as cool and confident as she had been before Nikola arrived. He seemed unaffected by Nikola's earlier statement.

Will introduced them, "Meet Greg Addison, U.N. Security Council liaison, and all round nice guy."

Addison extended his hand toward Henry. "Henry Foss, right? I love your work."

"Aw, thanks…I mean, whatever." Henry tried, unsuccessfully, to hide how much he enjoyed the compliment as they shook hands, but Nikola knew Addison wasn't sincere.

"And this would be..?" Addison moved to Erika.

"Erika Myers," she responded as she moved to stand by Henry, "and I already don't like you."

"Yeah, we're, uh, together," Henry said, as if that would explain her discomfort.

"Well, aren't you the lucky guy?" Addison's voice was dripping with cynicism.

He ignored Nikola entirely.

Helen looked uncomfortable. "I trust everything is to your liking?"

Addison faced his assistant. "Cass?"

Cassidy seemed to regain some confidence with Addison in the room, but eyed Nikola warily. "Uh, well, the system is a bit…archaic, but I think we can find our way around."

Henry was nervous. "Um, are you sure? Because she can be a little delicate if you don't understand her mods— did you say 'archaic'?"

Will became worried as he watched Addison's crew unpack equipment of their own. "Whoa, ho-ho...what is all this stuff?"

"Just a few adaptive peripherals, since we're required to do the work on-site without our customized workstations."

Henry quickly became unhappy. "Doc, this is so uncool!"

Helen stepped in. "I agreed to allow your investigators short-term access to our system using our facilities, not to set up an entirely foreign network. I won't have you compromise our security, even unintentionally."

Addison relented. "Make do with what they give you." Then he turned back towards Henry and Erika and smiled. "Given the things they keep in the building, what choice do we have?"

"What do you mean by that? 'Things we keep in the building?'" Erika obviously meant business.

Henry tried to calm her. "It's cool, Erika."

But Addison continued to goad her. "Oh, you didn't get the tour? The place is crawling with monsters. Freaks." He widened his eyes at the last word for effect.

Nikola heard Erika's bones shuffle as her nose and mouth broadened into a muzzle, her skin darkened and her voice dropped several octaves midsentence as she shoved Addison against the wall. "We're not _monsters_!" Her partial transformation kept going back and forth. She was fighting the beast for control. Nikola's vampire side also begged for release, but he held it back.

Henry rushed to her side. "Whoa! Erika, Erika. Just relax. Just relax." He gradually drew her away from Addison. William came to stand by her.

Addison straightened up and smoothed his suit. "I can see why she's your girlfriend."

Henry gave him a look. "Watch yourself, dude."

Addison ignored him. "I take it she's a..." He looked at Helen.

"Hyper-accelerated Protean," she finished, "like Henry. One of only a few left in the world."

"And she's not usually like this." Protégé looked ready to punch him.

"I'm flattered."

"Don't be," Erika almost changed again, "the way you judge us!"

"Okay sweetheart…" Henry pulled her away, "What's wrong?"

She was on the verge of tears. "I-I couldn't...I can't..." Her body threatened to transform again.

"Okay, what is the deal with her?" Addison seemed only a little fazed by the entire ordeal, but Nikola heard his pulse betray him.

Will was irritated enough to admonish him. "Just give her a minute."

"Doc, something's not right."

"I agree. Let's get her to isolation. Come on."

"Well," Addison's mask of confidence had never left him, "I couldn't feel safer right now."

"Don't worry Erika. I'll finish him off," Nikola leered at Addison as he strode towards him. This was the first time Nikola spoke since Addison had entered. Erika nodded at Nikola, not sure what to think as Henry led her out. Upon hearing this, Helen stayed behind and watched Nikola cautiously.

Addison eyed him. "Who are you?"

He smirked. _Let the games begin!_

He glanced at Addison's subordinates. "Well, that does seem to be the question of the hour, doesn't it?"

This time, Helen introduced him. "This is Nikola Tesla."

Addison smiled craftily, "Ah. Nikola Tesla, the scientist who couldn't stay in any school long enough to graduate."

"Yes, even Oxford was full of dimwits. I had a most enjoyable time disproving them left, right and center. Don't you remember, Helen?"

He saw Helen smile at the memories.

He continued with a sarcastic remark of his own, "It's such a shame that I have no petty school to attribute my genius to."

"Yes, so you went bipolar, then insane, not to mention falling in love with a bird."

Nikola's blood pressure exploded. He was at a loss for just a moment, but Addison continued before Nikola could speak.

"I bet even sweet little Helen here has wanted you dead on numerous occasions."

Everything happened too fast: Helen's embarrassed flush, Nikola's sudden rage. How easy it was to give in to his other side, despite taking his medicine this morning as always. It delighted in the feel of his nails becoming claws and his teeth extending into sharp daggers. He hissed at the slight pain as his facial bones migrated, making his face angular and sharp; his eyes faded to midnight-black, tunneling his vision. He was clutching the hairless fool's neck against the wall, its toes barely touching the ground; an intense pleasure came as the cretin's fear-scent filled the room in waves with each beat of its trembling heart.

All this happened within the time it took for Addison to blink.

"I guarantee, _boy_, that when the HAP said we weren't monsters, she hadn't thought of me." Nikola growled in a voice that wasn't his own.

Addison barely managed to keep his confident look. "You wouldn't dare," he sneered at the creature before him, "especially not in front of Helen. What would she say? Good men like you have too many rules." Everyone else was still too stunned to move.

In this moment, Nikola didn't care what the others would think of him after this. For all it had done, this simpleton in front of him still did not deserve the oxygen it used in a single breath. The pulse in its neck threatened to overwhelm his senses.

"Good men don't need rules," he snarled, "Now is not a good time to find out why I have so many." The head that was attached to the neck in his hand finally lost its façade and paled, making its blood even more visible and tempting to the vampire, its smell more intoxicating. He was no longer aware of the other beating hearts in the room.

"Nikola!" He heard a voice push its way into his brain, desperate to be heard. Nikola realized it was Helen's, realized what he was about to do. But he wasn't in control anymore.

"Nikola, fight it!"

He tried to fight, to get away from the man he was about to kill. But with each beat of Addison's heart, Nikola lost what little ground he'd gained. He couldn't move away, only closer. He heard Helen say something else but couldn't tell what it was. The sound of the worm's blood running through him drowned out all other sounds. His face was so close to Addison's that they were almost touching.

_No! I don't want to do this! I refuse to become a monster! I refuse to be like Druitt!_

But there was nothing he could do.


	4. Chapter 4

Please don't kill me! I know it was terrible of me to give that cliffhanger and then neglect it. Truth is, I knew how I was going to resolve it, but midway through this chapter some more idea-fish jumped into the murky, unpredictable pond that is my brain. I'm more of an engineer at heart than a writer. Then I decided to add a memory, but it took me a while to stop that and it's taking up most of this chapter.

I don't own Nikola; if I did, _Sanctuary's _future would still be bright and happy.

/

The taste of blood never came. Instead, Nikola felt the last thing he'd expected: soft lips on his own. By the smell, they were Helen's. The distraction gave him enough control to let go of Addison and move away from him. As he kissed her back, he forced back his claws and fangs so he could put his arms around her, his facial bones shifted to their normal positions, and as Helen saw his eyes return to blue-gray pools, she put her head under his chin and hugged him. Nikola, feeling very humbled, couldn't look at the assembly gawking at the pair. He whispered, "Thank you. I was about to do something horrible."

"Are you going to be alright?" Her voice was filled with concern.

Nikola hesitated before saying, "I'll be in my room…hopefully." He gently withdrew and ran out. In the lab, he heard Helen speak quietly, "Will, please get Addison to a clinic bed. Henry, I trust you can manage here without me?"

Nikola took an indirect route to his room to avoid the heartbeats he could hear around him. He couldn't trust himself near anyone now. When he accidentally strayed close enough to smell one of Addison's fellows, his throat felt inflamed with each breath. He began to run at full vampire speed.

He hadn't answered Helen earlier because he didn't know if he would be alright.

He passed the wine cellar without a thought, entered his room and locked the door.

_I can't believe Helen had to _kiss_ me just to keep me from hurting someone! What's happening now? This hasn't happened since the group perfected my medication! At least it wasn't a full-blown loss of control._

Every smell in the room barraged him. Through them, Nikola knew of everyone who had been in this room in the past half-year. He tore off his dress shirt, almost ripping it. He was surprised when the sound battered his ears like cannon fire, so he gingerly exchanged his dress pants for some loose-fitting shorts, and sat on the floor, covered in sweat, avoiding the now-ear-shattering bed. He could count the number of sweat beads on his skin because he could feel them individually—

Nikola knew that he would go mad from sensory overload if he continued to focus on what was around him. He thought back to his and Helen's happy days at Oxford, before they were brought into the world of abnormals, before the Five, before Johnny-boy forced his way to Helen and left a path of destruction in his wake. It had just been the two of them, 'the Oxford Outcasts' as they'd named themselves: the woman and the foreigner.

They had been happy, not caring what the narrow-minded students and professors thought.

Nikola hadn't liked Montague John Druitt from the minute they met, but Helen did, so Nikola had tolerated him for her sake. James and Nigel were more agreeable, and not only because they hadn't ogled Helen like a grand prize at a fair.

Even after the formation of the Five, Helen and Nikola had remained best friends. Then it began to slowly crumble away after Nikola ceased to be human.

_That morning in the UK Sanctuary had been normal as ever. Nigel and James were in the lab, probably discussing and experimenting with various formulas, looking for new purposes they could be used for. Ever since a particularly loud experiment a few weeks ago, the pair began to turn the gas lamps as low as they could. Druitt's advances on Helen were becoming more frequent (and public) by the day. Gregory Magnus was, as usual, gone on one of his frequent expeditions. Nikola, naturally, was on the roof, sketching and feeding the pigeons. Today, there must have been at least a dozen of the small gray birds._

_About two months ago, the Five had undertaken their most daring project yet: they'd found Source Blood: pure, untainted vampire blood, which many ancient legends promised would give miraculous powers to those were injected with it. The Five had decided to put these legends to the test, and within the week, Nigel could turn invisible at will, Watson's intellectual capacity soared, and Druitt could move about from place to place, without actually moving his body, over any distance; he would simply disappear, and reappear somewhere else with a flash of orange light. Nikola's luck, naturally, had fared as poorly as it had with his attempts to tell Helen how he felt about her: he hadn't changed at all. He felt worse for Helen, though. While the men, Nikola included, had fantasized about what superhuman powers they might gain (Druitt was the worst of them; he deserved Helen even less than Nikola), Helen held only curiosity of how the human body could be affected. Yet she hadn't changed, either._

_Nikola usually waited until after lunch to leave the others, but today it had been only ten o'clock in the morning before Nikola couldn't look at Johnny without seething, and he didn't want Helen to notice. By this point, her blushes at Druitt were so potent that she could no longer hide them, so she no longer tried. Ever since Nikola had realized that it was far too late for him to attempt to court Helen, he'd found little reason to associate with the rest of the Five. Whenever Nikola and Druitt made eye-contact after a successful John-Helen flirtation, they couldn't hide their hatred for each other, and Druitt would add a triumphant glare that said, "She's mine. If you try anything, she'll hate you forever."_

_Of course, Helen's choice in men was just that, her choice. This was the only reason Nikola had not interfered yet. He cared more for her happiness than anything else. He loved her, and despite his best efforts, he knew he would continue to put her every desire above his own for the rest of their lives, regardless of the way she treated him._

_At least, he thought they were drums; they sounded much lower than any drums he'd ever heard. And the volume! The drum-sounds were so close that, if they were drums, they would be right in front of him, but there were no drums in sight. The sound of drums would be a peculiar sound to hear on the Sanctuary roof, and they didn't sound _quite_ like drums._

Is it downstairs? Maybe it's Nigel and James.

_Curiosity peaked, Nikola made to stand up. _

_At the same time, there was a loud and awful scratching sound that made him stop where he was. The scratching sound stopped as well. He looked around, startled, but he was still alone. He stood up, scaring the pigeons away. The strange drum sounds hadn't ceased, and Nikola's ears were attacked with a loud _whoosh whoosh _while the pigeons flew away, as if a lot of air was being pushed. Strangely, both the drum and windy sounds died down within ten seconds, but they never quite stopped. Now he was able to hear more drum-sounds coming from other directions all around, including from where he stood, but it was only a single beat now. There were so many, beating independently of each other, that they became a constant hum to Nikola. There were many other sounds besides: banging, rustling, pounding, and so on, but still Nikola could not see any sources of noise. _

_Nikola made to run downstairs, to tell the others of these anomalies, but within a second, he was on the ground, stunned from the pain. As his foot stomped on the ground, there was an ear-splitting _boom_ that took him by surprise. As he'd hit the ground, it happened again, but at a lower pitch. Nikola lay there for several minutes…or hours until he was fully aware again. The cold stone felt soothing against his cheek as he felt waves of heat leave his body. He acutely felt a drop of sweat form and slide down his head onto the stone. Nikola's panic, confusion and pain prevented him from having any coherent thought at the moment. Not that he knew what to think. He slid his hands over his ears, afraid there was more noise to come, and it was accompanied by a scratching sound._

_The gears in his mind began turning._

_Nikola continued slowly rubbing his fingers around his ears. It was as loud as someone speaking to him. Furthermore, he could feel miniscule bits of sweat forming, but they were so small that he could feel a hundred of them with each finger. Then came the smells. He could smell the dirty stench left by the pigeons as well as his own sweat now. Those _whooshing _sounds were from the pigeons' wings, carrying them away. And the drums…_

The heartbeats of every creature around me! Amazing! The Source Blood changed me, too! I'll get used to my hypersensitivity soon enough. Finally, something works out in my favor!

_Something worked out in his favor…with absolutely no downsides. It felt glorious._

_Nikola was eager to tell the others. He tried to ignore the sounds that came from close by as he listened for the voices of his colleagues. Thankfully, there was no wind today. He could hear each of them as if they were right next to him: Nigel and James were still in their lab, and Helen and Druitt…were kissing on her bed. Nikola broke his concentration before he heard anything that would make his rage boil over. Taking off his shoes to avoid being stunned again by the noise, Nikola went back to his room (which itself was distracting with all the new smells) to explore his newfound abilities on his own. He also found that his sight, which had been slowly fading for the past few years, was now better than before. While not as powerful as his hearing or olfactory senses, he could see very well, as if his eyes had been healed. He wondered if his night-vision had improved as well, and if his taste buds had also been affected by the Source Blood._

_After at least an hour spent identifying smells in his room, there was a knock on the door. About twenty minutes ago, Nikola had found that he could tone down his hearing ability (could he do this with his others senses, too?), so he kept it so low that he finally couldn't hear his own heartbeat, which he knew he would eventually learn to ignore. This, combined with is complete concentration on the scents around him, was why he hadn't hear anyone approach until they knocked. By now, Nikola had bathed and changed into a new suit, so he stood up and opened the door._

_He instantly wished he hadn't, and there was no way he could have anticipated what happened next. So many details came at once. _

_It was Helen. She wore a different dress since he'd last seen her that morning. Her scent hit him. It was light and fresh. A vastly different scent, masculine and a bit sour, came with it. Johnny's, no doubt. It made Nikola want to throw up, but Helen's scent overpowered it and, of all things to happen, his stomach _growled_. Sure, Nikola hadn't eaten in a few hours, but this was just _weird_. Furthermore, with each breath he took of her sweet scent, his stomach grew louder. Apparently, overactive senses were not the only changes to Nikola's biology._

_All this happened within two seconds. _

_Helen heard his stomach and came to the main reason for her presence. "Lunch is ready."_

_Nikola was blown away as her breath surrounded him. He was distracted enough to stop regulate his hearing. The sounds came crashing back into his head: Air moving in and out of Helen's throat, the others' conversations a few hundred yards away, their heartbeats, his own faster than the rest. Helen's steady, unalarmed pulse boomed through Nikola's head and quickly drowned all others out, making his stomach do somersaults. He stepped back and fumbled to close the door, too afraid to inhale. He was losing control of…something in himself. He had to get air: dull, non-Helen-scented air._

_Helen caught the door before he could shut it. The sound of her hand smacking the door was loud, but it didn't compare to the thumping of her heart, so close to his. She half-smiled not sure if he was messing around. "Nikola, what are you doing?"_

"_Stay away Helen. Something's wrong with me," Nikola croaked, his Serbian accent stronger than usual. Giving up on the door and too terrified to stay close to her, he backed up against the far wall of his room, sniffing slightly to test the air. No good, despite being about six feet away from the source. He felt so hungry that, with that little puff of air, his belly hurt._

_Helen was incredulous. She took a few steps toward him. "Nikola, what on earth are you talking about?"_

"_It's the Source Blood, Helen." The last of his breath was gone._

_Helen beamed. "Oh, Nikola, that's wonderful!" He jerkily shook his head. Then she remembered the fact that he obviously wasn't happy about it. She took a few more steps forward and quietly asked, "What's it doing to you?" _

_Nikola couldn't speak anymore: he had no more air in his lungs, but he resisted the urge, that was getting stronger by the minute, to breathe. Instead, he widened his eyes and shook his head again, more forcefully this time. She seemed to understand but not care. She came right up to him and stopped. It was so part of her character to let her curiosity get the better of her. She seemed intent on staying put and help Nikola until this -whatever _this _was- was over, but it wouldn't be over until she left._

_Nikola felt a burst of heat as her hands touched his arms. He could feel the blood pumping under her skin. That sensation, combined with her heartbeat, now accelerating, made him shiver all over. She held him tighter, which only made the reaction worsen. He couldn't stop looking at her neck. He could clearly _see _hot_, _wet blood rushing through her carotid arteries. His mouth watered.. _

_The lack of air was getting to him. He barely had the energy to stay standing. He could feel his mind slipping, his face paling. He prayed nothing bad would happen as he opened his mouth in a grimace—_

"_Nikola!"_

_Pain._

_Nikola felt like the bones in his head and…_hands_, strangely enough, were melting. His vision tunneled, still centered on Helen's neck. He screamed, but it didn't sound like anything that could have come from him: it was several octaves lower than anything Nikola's vocal chords could possibly achieve. It sounded like the voice a reptile-humanoid might have, rather than a human._

_Helen's eyes widened and a wave of fear-scent came off her as she pulled her hands away. Nikola couldn't guess how he knew it was fear, some part of him just _knew_. And that part reveled in it. It sent him over the edge._

_He grabbed her (he didn't know why) and saw, in the corner of his eye, that something was different about his hands, but he was too transfixed by her neck to become fully aware. His instincts (when did he get instincts?) took over. He gave an almighty roar and sank long teeth into her neck._

_His canines sliced into her artery as easily as a butcher's knife into soft butter. He felt instant euphoria as the hot metallic liquid flowed into his mouth, and he involuntarily began to suck and swallow it at an alarming rate. His stomach rumbled with pleasure. He could stay like this forever, he decided._

_He heard something strange, a moan maybe? Curious, he turned to see what it was, careful not to let his mouth move away from the sweet, delicious beverage—_

_Reality came crashing down._

_The face of the one he would never hurt, the one he'd loved for most of his adult life, the one who'd shared in every enjoyable moment he'd had at Oxford, stared up at him, weak and pale._

_Helen._

Helen!

_Had Nikola just been drinking her _blood_?_

_He wrenched his teeth out and dropped her, both too drunk and stunned at reality to do anything else. Barely conscious, Helen continued to stare up at him from the floor as it quickly turned red. He tore his gaze away from her and found Griffin, Watson and Druitt standing in the doorway, flabbergast at the scene before him. Each had wide eyes. Druitt looked ready to murder. Watson couldn't move from shock. Griffin's hands were over his gaping mouth. That reminded Nikola of noticing something strange on his hands. He held them up._

_There were long, black _claws _where his nails used to be. His right hand was sticky with Helen's blood. He moved, with superhuman speed, to the full-length mirror on the wall to his right and peered at it._

_He didn't recognize the monster that stared back._

_His hair and clothes were the only recognizable features on the figure. Its eyes were solid black –no irises or whites– just black. The facial bones were all in wrong positions to belong to a human. They made the face sharp, with pointed features. The teeth were almost worse than the eyes: they weren't regular _teeth_, per say – they were long, slightly curving _fangs_. The clawed hands were there as well. The creature's face and clothing were also spattered with blood._

Is that _me? _

_He had more thoughts, all happening at once:_

I've become a demon.

My chance at happiness is gone, even if Helen does survive, which she won't.

I'll never be allowed here again.

I should be put down, like the animal I am. That's what I deserve…that's what Helen deserves.

_He knew what he was, what they were called…but he couldn't bring himself to use the word, so the monster forced it into his mind._

Vampire.

_What had he done to deserve such a cursed life?_

_The other men rushed at Nikola. He wanted to submit, to die then and there. But he wasn't in control. The monster wanted to _live_, _live _and _kill_. When the others landed on top of Nikola, the monster threw them off at once with apparent ease. It ran to the window and jumped out. It landed outside, almost gracefully, forty feet down. John reached the shattered window just in time to see it disappear into the woods, while Nigel and James frantically attended to Helen._

A knock on his door plus the fresh scent of Helen, as sweet as it had been the first time he experienced it (minus Druitt's foul stench, of course) brought Nikola back to the present. He'd fallen asleep, and he'd had his alter-ego's favorite nightmare: the first – and only time – he'd tasted Helen. He hadn't dreamt of that day in decades, and when he did, it usually meant Nikola's darker nature was stronger than he liked.

_As if I needed the dream to confirm that._

He was almost sure he was under control, though: his senses of smell and hearing were manageable and his head felt clear. But he didn't swing open the door anyway; he opened it a crack, just in case, and tested the air. Yes, Helen's scent only affected him the amount it usually did (which was tantalizing but more than bearable), so he opened it all the way. Helen knew that he wouldn't have done that if she were in any danger, so she walked in and sat on a couch. He offered her a drink, which she refused, so he poured a single glass of '49 Lafite for himself and joined her. They both decided to ignore their earlier kiss, for now.

Helen gave him a "What trouble have you caused now?" look, but simply said, "We need to talk."

Nikola smiled uncertainly and held up his hands. "Don't worry; I'm just as confused as you are."

That didn't ease Helen's mind in the slightest.

/

Yes, I know my writing style has probably dramatically changed since Chapter 1. As always, please inform me of any typos/ grammar problems. Also, general writing-style from the more experienced writers would be nice ^.^

By the way, in this version, when Nikola's eyes transform, they turn red (as in the show) and his vision tunnels while they turn black.

Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Henry: Seriously…just write the freakin' story!

Nikola: For once, I must agree with Wolfie, SanctuaryForNikola…hey, when did you change your name?

Me: …just recently…*looks up in faked innocence*

Nikola: What was wrong with the other one? It had me in it!

Me: Yes, well…as I plan to eventually write in other fandoms, I thought a name not attached to any single one would be better…

Nikola: But I'm only in this one! Why on earth would you want to write in others?

Me and Henry: …*sweat-drop*

Henry: …wait…why is there sweat-dropping here? We're not freakin' anime characters!

Nikola: Anime? THAT'S where you're going next? OH NO, there is NO way in hell I am letting you turn me into a 2-D picture!

Me: Eeep! I regret nothing! *cackles, then runs away, being chased by angry Serbian vampire*

*The Gosho boys watch on the sidelines from a distance*

Heiji: Man…an' I thought Hakuba was a prick…

Hakuba: *angry vein appears* What was that, Hattori-san?

Kaito and Shinichi: *sweat-drop*

Nikola: *still chasing* Hey, fencing-boy, you're next!

Heiji: Oi, it's _kendo_, ya weirdo! *whispering* How can her hears use from over there, anyway?

Kaito: Well, vampires usually have very good hearing…

Heiji: Ya don't actually believe that vampire nonsense, do ya?

Kaito: You obviously don't know Koizumi Akako-san.

Hakuba: Oh please, Kuroba-kun, the lady is not a witch!

Henry: *has good HAP hearing* …? *more confused*

Yep, so that was a random conversation going on in my mind one night at 3:00 in the morning. Poor Henry! Seriously, these people actually EXIST in that bottomless pit, along with The Doctor, Wolverine and Nick Knight (but not the Cullens, thank goodness). I will leave the rest of my ramble for after you've read, but I do want you to know that I still can't log on FF with my own computer. So my guest name will either by SanctuaryForNiko or Ever-the-Phantom...even though the top of ever page still says 'SanctuaryForNikola'...?

I also decided to change the title since ADDison is not one of the main characters *snarky* Awww the poor baby...

* * *

"What convinced you to stop taking your medication, Nikola? You're putting everyone in danger with this lunacy!"

"Helen—"

"No, Nikola!" Helen jumped up from the couch, "I don't want to hear your blasted excuses! After all these years, Nikola, you can be such a child! If anyone had been harmed, Nikola—"

"I know." He knew all too well. Even now, he could still distinguish the deep puncture marks on her neck from over a century and, in her case, almost two and a half centuries ago, and still they'd never fully healed. He was immensely thankful that she couldn't see them anymore without his enhanced vision, but there they were, haunting him, as clear as day.

"You're doing vampire experiments again, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not, I promise. Helen—"

"LIAR!"

The remark stun, but Nikola decided to keep quiet and let her anger run its course. She fumed silently for several minutes, most likely expecting him to say something snarky, but he didn't have it in him at the moment. His heart ached as he watched her.

"What's your hidden agenda this time, Nikola? I need the _entire_ truth! Now! Otherwise you know where the front gate is!" Her eyes blazed.

_Wonderful! She's ready to kick me out when I didn't cause any of this! I _am _taking the medication!_

"Helen, listen—"

She took that as the start of a "here's my newest crazy experiment" paragraph.

"You know what? I don't even want to know what new depravities you've thought up! Pack your things and GET OUT!"

"I _AM_ TAKING IT!" Nikola roared. His vocal chords had transformed without his knowledge. His vision started tunneling. Helen grabbed her gun and cocked it toward Nikola as he fell to the floor and scooted away. Her pulse was becoming more inviting. She didn't speak.

Nikola curled up into a ball in the corner, eyes shut tight as he fought his own body.

"Something's wrong, Helen," he grunted, "The medication isn't working. I don't know why. And then Addison triggered something just now…I swear, Helen, on Nigel's and James's graves, that I did not come here with an ulterior motive…Now get out while you can. Your scent's driving me crazy." For once, she didn't argue. He vaguely smelled salty tears as she ran from the room, closing the door behind her.

Will was on his way back to Magnus's office again to see if she'd turned up when he ran into her in the hallway. His psych-profiling skills noticed her shuffling feet, drooped shoulders and drying tears.

"Magnus, there you are. I've been looking for you," he proceeded carefully. "It's about Addison…"

"Oh, yes, how is he?" Helen seemed to have forgotten about Addison.

"Cocky as ever, but I think he's learned his lesson for now. His assistants certainly won't be giving us any trouble," Will smiled, "You know, those times I almost mutated into an abnormal, why couldn't they have been cool ones like a vampire or a HAP?" he joked.

"You would only enjoy it if you had the amount of control Nikola or Henry have," Helen replied firmly, "Power like that always comes at a price. An hour ago, you caught of a glimpse of that price, from both species." Will sobered at this.

"How are they?" He decided to avoid the subject of how she had stopped Nikola from tearing Addison apart.

Helen kept a straight face. "Erika's body is reacting to pregnancy hormones. She'll be fine. Nikola's…" She was making an effort to hold back more tears.

_He's always got a hidden agenda! Always!_

"Magnus, what did he do to you?"

"He didn't do anything–"

"Like hell he didn't."

"He…his body seems to be fighting the medication we made for him at Oxford. That's why he exploded earlier. I'm going to begin running tests now."

"…Anything I can do to help?"

"Yes: Babysit our guests."

Will groaned.

A mere two hours later, Nikola sat in a chair in his room with his head in his hands.

His body had been fighting the medication that contained his blood lust and slowly developing immunity over the years. Nikola had been successfully living life among humans for so long that he ignored the signs, like that time in the Roman catacombs: he'd felt like tearing that Cabal agent apart with his bare teeth and claws until Helen pulled her gun on him, the same gun she'd used ten minutes ago. He'd excused his behavior by saying he'd been "a little excited". He leaned his head against the back of the chair, moving his hands to the back of his head.

What idiots they had been to think that they could defeat such a large part of his true nature with some pills!

His blood work results still sat on the coffee table to his right. Apparently, his body had developed antibodies that rendered the medication almost ineffective upon entering his system. Helen, not yet ready to give up on the whole medication institution altogether, decided to create a new formula from scratch. This would take at least several months, so, naturally, Nikola invited himself to live once again in a Sanctuary. Despite the children's protests, Helen had agreed with him, and the pups couldn't argue with his logic. Nikola was becoming unstable, that had already been proven, and leaving him out in society would be dangerous. Nikola hadn't liked it much, either. Who besides Helen and the Walking Carpet wanted to be stuck with Wolfgang and Scooter for that long?

Either way, until this was settled, Nikola would have to take four times his previous dosage if he wanted to safely be around people again.

And he _did_ want to be around Helen.

Nikola chuckled to himself. Even after all these years of flat-out rejection, his heart hadn't learned. He mostly understood what made her tick, but she was still such mystery. Of course, now that she was a hundred years older, it only made sense. And maybe a subtle part of her attitude toward him had changed, if that kiss was anything to go by. Because she definitely could have found another way to stop him if she had wanted to; she was that stubborn.

He was going to have so much fun falling in love with Helen all over again, not that he had stopped in the first place.

Feeling oddly pleased with himself, Nikola left his room and wandered around the Sanctuary until he passed by William's office and saw its owner inside. He grinned cheekily.

"Hey there, Sport!"

Will just growled without looking up. Nikola laughed as he sauntered off to find and bother his next target.

* * *

…And Nikola went all cheeky-prankster as a result of me reading WAY too many Kaitou Kid fanfics.

So my muse for this story has completely, 110% DIED, as of two months ago, hence the cease of updates. After Sanctuary's official cancellation *sniff* I got depressed (not the actual 'I hate myself' kind, just the 'waaaah, Sanctuary's GONE' kind) and ran away to Detective Conan, my first love (of anime/manga), which is still going strong after 17 years!

I decided that a hastily-thrown-together ending was better than none at all (I REALLY hate when someone stops in the middle, don't you?). So this is a multi-shot without much of a conclusion. If you want to write a sequel/continuation of your own, you have my full permission as long as you credit me for my bit here =)

Like my ending? Great! Wanna lynch me instead? That's fine, I would want to lynch the author too if it wasn't me…

I've noticed that all my wonderful ideas come to me between the hours of 2:00 and 5:00 A.M., then by the time I've got it written, down, I realize that I forgot some awesome part of it…does this happen to anyone else?

I think that's all I have to say for now…try to finish those neglected stories before starting new ones~


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